A single rose was sitting out on the stoop when I went to get the mail later that same morning. The message tied around it said it was from Evan. Despite the good feelings I had that morning, I couldn’t shake the sense of impending doom.
      I am not saying I am psychic, far from it, I couldn’t predict the changing of the hour with the help of a watch. I did however feel something very very wrong was going to happen. Maybe it was the ugly scene with Greg the day before, I just don’t know. The feeling stayed with me most of the day and into the evening when I was getting ready to go out with Shannon. I was dressed in my new pleather pants and my silk camisole and was putting on some outrageous makeup. Yes, it was pretty outrageous. I had borrowed from the technique I used in high school with dark eyeliner and silver and white eye shadow with matching silver lipstick. I had glitter paint which I also applied to my eye make up which enhanced my green eyes. My auburn hair was moused teased then sprayed until it stuck out at weird angles. I look pretty wild, but this was suppose to be a fun night to go out with Shannon, have a few beers maybe dance and just hang out. Shannon was equally dolled up, and we both laughed when we saw each other. We looked like we should have walked out of a video on MTV.
      Just as I was touching up my lips, the door bell rang. I looked at Shannon expecting her to say she invited Evan over. She was surprised by the door bell as I was. She went to get it while I finished. As I was exiting my bed room, I heard Shannon shouting at someone, curious I went to see who she was launching a verbal attack against.
      “If you don’t leave this minute I am going to call the cops, I don’t care if you are the Mayor.” Shannon shouted, trying to shut the door on Greg. Greg’s force was just too much for her as he forced the door open. “All I want to do is talk to her Shannon” despite her attempts he pushed her aside.
      “She doesn’t want to talk to you.” she hurled at him, but he kept coming towards me, and I was too frightened to move. It took all my courage to say. “Fine, you want to talk, talk.” Shannon turned into the kitchen, I didn’t know if she was calling the police or trying to look for a weapon.
      Greg stopped and looked at me from head to toe, when he was done I felt dirty and he was sneering as if I were a prostitute who disgusted him. “What are you doing dressed like that?”
      “Shannon and I were going out.” I said calmly. I didn’t want him to hear the fear in my voice.
      “You are going out in public in that?” he shouted. “I will not allow it. You look like a fucking slut.” He came towards me but I held my ground. Bad move, because he kept coming. He also kept shouting. “You probably are going to see him, aren’t you?” I didn’t say anything. “You are! You damn slut.” I felt his hand crash across my face, which blooded my nose and lip. It hit me with enough force that it knock me to the wall, where I hit my head and slid to the floor. Greg grabbed me by my arm and picked me up by twisting it harshly behind my back.
      Shannon rushed from the kitchen, baseball bat in hand. We had always kept one in the pantry just in case a burglar or someone broke in. We never thought we would have to use it. “Let her go, or I will crack your skull wide open.” She stood as if she were about to hit a home run. I don’t know if it was the sheer determination in Shannon’s eyes or the actual bat that made him throw me hard against the wall as he let me go. “I wanted to marry you, but you will always be a freaked out fucking slut.” he said as I crumbled to the floor. I felt his foot connect with my stomach, and I almost vomited from the pain. He then turned towards Shannon.
      Shannon who still had her bat poised, was maneuvering in between me and Greg before he did anything else. “Stay down!” she told me when she got close enough to me.
      Greg started to laugh, an evil cackle, if I wasn’t in so much pain I would have remarked how he was acting like maniacal bad guy . “You should see the yourself, both dressed like common whores, well Evan Johanson can have you. I’m too good for a whore like you.” He said. “I bet you were fucking him the whole time you were stringing me along.”
      “Shut up!” Shannon started to scream, “Just leave! I already called for help.”
      “The cops aren’t going to do anything, I’m the mayor.” Greg laughed again. Shannon’s resolve didn’t flinch, so I was wondering who she called. I didn’t have to wait to long.
      “Get out Phillips!” Evan roared from the door way. Oh god, why did Shannon call Evan.
      “YOU!” Greg swung around quickly, and charged towards Evan swing a fist at his face. He wasn’t that quick and Evan avoided his fist while using Greg’s momentum to knock him off balance. Greg stumbled but didn’t fall, but he came up punching. He hit Evan with a punch to the jaw, but Evan took it and smashed his fist into Greg’s nose. It was like watching a boxing match, sort of. When it was all said and done, Greg retreated out the front door and sped away in his jeep. It looked like Evan’s eye was getting pufffy and swollen over top the over the shiner I had given him, and his lip was slit, but from what I could tell he was fine. He had to pry the bat from Shannon’s hand because she was gripping it so hard. He told her to sit down while he checked on me.
      “Where does it hurt?”I was lying on my back clutching, my stomach which started to hurt more and my wrist felt broken where I had fallen on it. “Everywhere” and it did. He told Shannon to get my coat and meet him out at his car. He picked me up gently but I still winced. Shannon hopped into the back seat while Evan placed me in the front. I looked at Evan after he started the car, “Wow, I bet I really look good compared to you.” Evan tried to smile. “You always look better than me sweetheart.” He said.
      We got to the hospital in less than 5 minutes when it should have taken at least 10. Evan with the help of Shannon carried me into the emergency room. I was in too much pain to resist. I was taken into one of the curtained rooms immediately. Shannon told the doctor what had happened while a nurse checked my blood pressure and pulse. The doctor then pressed on my stomach, checked my wrist and shined a light into my eyes to make sure I didn’t have a concussion. She said I was going to have to have x-rays just to be sure that I didn’t have any internal bleeding, but I defiantly had a broken wrist.
      “Don’t leave me!” I clung to Evan’s hand like a life line when they took me to x-ray. Shannon stayed with the registry nurse to give them my insurance information, I think she also called my mom and Harry, because they were there when I got out of x-ray. Mom was crying, saying how sorry she was and was thanking Evan like there was no tomorrow. I wanted to tell her that Greg wasn’t as good as she thought, but it wasn’t the time or place for my sarcasm. Shannon was no where to be found. Harry patted Evan on the back, and told him that he was a regular hero. It turned out my abdominal muscles were bruised, but otherwise fine, I had a compound fracture in my wrist and it was set in a cast, and I was released with a hefty dose of pain killers. Evan was also checked by the same doctor, but he was fine. Before we left though Shannon came back with a police officer who she had filed a report with. The police officer asked me if I wanted to press assault charges against Greg. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t want this to happen to anyone else, and I had a feeling that this had happened before, but no one wanted to talk about it. I told the officer yes, and he was happy to be on his way. Harry took the officer aside and said a few words to him. The officer nodded and I wondered what he had told him.
      After Evan drove Shannon and me home he helped me into the house and into my bedroom, he then waited outside while Shannon helped me into pajamas and arranged me in bed so I was comfortable. I grabbed her hand before she left the room. “Thanks Shan, I owe you one.”
      “No, you don’t. It’s my job, your my best friend.” She hugged me gently then let Evan come in. He laid beside me and tenderly took me in his arms and he stroked my hair comforting me.
      “I’m sorry.” was all he said against my hair.
      “For what? You didn’t beat me up.”
      “But it was because of me...” I turned to face him, and touched my good hand to his face.
      “Listen to me. It was my choice, if anyone is to blame, it’s me, I could have opened my eyes and saw what was happening. Greg is a sick man who needs help. Maybe he can get it now.” it was the truth. Despite everything I had been through I was still curious, so I can truly understand why curiosity killed the cat. “What was this big rivalry you two had?”
      Evan closed his eyes and thought a minute. “I don’t really know when I started or when Greg started maybe it was little league, in a friendly competition. Or maybe at recess in elementary school.” He stopped and smiled. “I remember knocking out his front teeth when he made fun of you. Do you remember what he did?”
      “He looked under my dress, and sang that horrid song, and started that awful nickname.”
      “Randy-pants!” he laughed. I started to but my stomach started to hurt. “Now I remember.”
      “Why did you that for anyway, beat him up?”
      “Puppy love, he was making fun of my girl. You just didn’t know it yet.” He said in such a way I couldn’t decide if he was joking or being serious.
      “Okay, you are just being too cheesy.” I said aloud. “You did not like me way back then.”
      “Yes, I did. Why else do you think I knocked Greg flat?”
      I rolled my eyes at him. If he said he did, then I guess I was going to believe him. That would explain why he was everywhere I was. “Why did you continue hating Greg?”
      “Cause it was just funny.” He brushed a hair out of my face. “Just winding Greg up was fun. It really wasn’t that important if I won, just that I got on his nerves, because Greg had to be the absolute best at what he did. He was just too serious.”
      “And you just weren’t serious enough.” I mumbled.
nbsp;     “No, I wasn’t but I grew out of that.” He said softly. “Speaking of doing what’s grown up. We have to talk, about this, about us, about the future”
      I knew that was coming. My cynical side was trying to protect me. He was going to say that he didn’t want anything serious because he didn’t love me and he was going to leave here when he was done with his job. “Not right now. I’m getting tired, could you ask Shannon to bring me some medicine?”
      “Okay, when you feel better,” He kissed my forehead, “I will stop by tomorrow.”
      “Bye,” I said rolling over so he didn’t see the single tear roll down my cheek. Not once did I cry the whole night, but knowing Evan wasn’t going to stay in this town made me cry myself to sleep.